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Tag Archives: toddlers

We took the Monday after the long Thanksgiving weekend to run some errands: a trip to the post office, bank, and library. My daughter was into these magnetic tiles at the library today. It was fun to watch her build – and destroy!

I’ve tried my best to pass on my love of reading to my daughter. We have books all over the house, we make frequent trips to the library, and we read lots of books at bedtime because this kid doesn’t need sleep like the rest of us do! She just turned three at the beginning of November and she is a busy, goofy girl. She cracks me up and she’s always surprising me with the things she says and knows. I thought it would be fun to hear her talk about books in an impromptu interview.

Me: What’s your favorite book right now?

C: Hmmm…blughertymum (incomprehensible mumbling)

Me: What’s your favorite kind of book?

C: Hmm, I yike princess books.

Me: Why do you like princess books?

C: Because I yuv, yuv, yuv princesses.

Me: Let’s talk about some of the new books you got recently. How many books did you get for your birthday?

C: One, two, and three, and five, and two.

(There are seven books!)

Me: Out of all those books, which one is the best?

C: This one (points to Naughty Mabel by Nathan Lane and Devlin Elliott).

Me: Why do you like Naughty Mabel?

C: Because I yuv it! I also yike this one and this one (points to Princesses Wear Pants by Savannah Guthrie and Allison Oppenheim and Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey).

Me: What do you like about those?

C: This one’s so glittery and sparkly (Princesses Wear Pants).

Me: And the other one?

C: Because he says, “I want to eat mommy’s blueberries” (Blueberries for Sal).

Me: Do you like to read books with mommy?

C: Yeah.

Me: Why?

C: Because I yike you.

Me: Any other thoughts you’d like to share about books?

C: I yike reading a story and playing games.

Naughty Mabel by Nathan Lane and Devlin Elliott

As for me, I wouldn’t say that I loved Naughty Mabel, a story about a dog named Mabel who gets in lots of trouble and gets called “Naughty” by her owners. The story didn’t feel entirely cohesive to me, and I didn’t like how proud Mabel was of herself for being naughty. However, the artwork was very fun. I enjoyed the illustrations more than the text.

Princesses Wear Pants by Savannah Guthrie and Allison Oppenheim

This book also had cute, colorful illustrations – but it also had a better story to back it up. Princess Penelope Pineapple has a great life and lots of fabulous dresses, but she also has a great collection of pants so that she can skateboard, do yoga, garden, be a pilot, and host a science fair. When there’s an emergency at a fancy party, Princess Penelope comes to the rescue thanks to her pants! The illustrations by Eva Byrne, a fashion illustrator, perfectly match the cute story.

Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey

Great-Grandma Shirley picked out this book for us after we told her about going to pick blueberries this summer. The book, originally published in 1948, is about Sal and her mother as they head out to Blueberry Hill to pick blueberries so they can take them home and can them for winter. Meanwhile, a baby bear and his mother head to the hill to eat blueberries before winter arrives. Sal and baby bear get mixed up and have to find their mothers! The illustrations are simple but graphic and detailed – despite only being printed in one color. My three year old loves looking at the print that is on the book’s end pages, a scene of Sal and her mother canning blueberries in an old-fashioned kitchen. I can see why this classic is still in print.